How kind are you to yourself?

Most of us would probably say we like to be kind to others. But how kind are you to yourself?

How do you talk to yourself on a daily basis – you know, that inner dialogue that runs inside all the time?

If you’re anything like the majority, you probably take yourself for granted a lot and speak to yourself in a way you’d never dream of speaking to your family and friends.

Being unkind to ourselves can have a negative impact on our mental health and is linked with depression and anxiety.

In business, negative self-talk can keep us stuck, make us fearful of trying new things and overflow into all areas of our life.

Showing ourselves kindness and self-compassion, on the other hand, has been shown to boost our self-esteem, increase self-confidence and happiness, make us more fun to be around, improve our resilience, help us cope with stress and generally help us feel satisfied with life, all of which equip us better to handle the ups and downs of running a business.

If you’ve been self-critical for a long time it might be challenging at first to learn to treat yourself more kindly. But here are five SUPER easy ways to get started.

1.???? Be grateful

Take time every day to write down a list of things you’re grateful for. Remember to thank yourself!

2.???? Talk kindly to yourself

Notice the conversations going on in your head. When you find yourself being hard on yourself, change it up at once. Maybe apologise to yourself and add a word of encouragement, “You’ve got this!”

3.???? Take time out

How often do you give yourself guilt-free time off? If this is something you struggle with, it doesn’t have to be extravagant. Just allowing yourself the occasional lie-in, or a coffee and walk around the park could be a good start. Something that shows you how much you care about yourself!

4.???? Treat yourself

Do at least one thing every day that’s just for you – run yourself a nice long bath, read (just for pleasure!), take a walk in Nature. Be sure you do at least one thing every day that brings you a sense of real joy.

5.???? Take a break from your phone

If you find yourself being “triggered” by stuff you see on social media that just adds to your negative self-talk, be sure to give yourself a break from it – or just stop scrolling!

And finally, if you fail to try any of the above, that’s OK. Start again tomorrow - but don't wait too long! ??